The red and blue poison arrow frog’s jewel like color stands out from the rich rainforest vegetation as a warning that it is one of the most poisonous animals on earth. For centuries, the poison arrow frog has provided South American Indians with poison for the tips of arrows and blowpipe darts. For predators, swallowing a frog means certain death, and even licking one can prove fatal.

Habits: Like all amphibians, poison arrow frogs must stay moist to survive. The red and blue species lives in Costa Rican rainforests. The constantly steamy, wet environment reduces the frog’s need for streams and pools. It forages through the rain soaked leaves and vegetation for small insects such as ants and spiders. The poison arrow frog moves in short hops and rarely stays still. Adhesive pads on its toes allow it to climb agilely to search for prey. Its vocal sac fully extended, a poison arrow frog croaks a territorial claim.

Breeding: Many frogs lay large quantities of eggs in water and leave them alone. Fish eat the newly hatched tadpoles, and few survive to develop into adult frogs. The poison arrow frog breeds in a different way that ensures the tadpoles’ survival. After a courtship ritual of calling, chasing, and wrestling, the female lays four to six eggs. The male then fertilizes the eggs. The newly hatched tadpoles climb onto the female’s back, and she carries them to the water. Sticky mucus holds the tadpoles on tight and keeps them moist during the several hour journey.

Instead of a pond or stream, the red and blue mother places her tadpoles in tiny condensation pools in the centers of tropical plants. The female puts one tadpole in each plant, feeding them each week by placing unfertilized eggs in the pools. Feeding on this nutritious food, the tadpoles grow into adulthood. Males wrestle for mates; their poison is for predators.

Defenses: Some frogs protect themselves from larger predators such as snakes and hawks by secreting mild poisons from the skin to make themselves taste foul. The poison arrow also uses this tactic, but its skin gland secretions are lethal. A predator faces certain death if it swallows a poison arrow frog, and even licking one can often prove fatal. 

These frog poisons are the most powerful animal poisons known. As little as two micrograms of its poison can kill an adult human – and each frog contains nearly 200 micrograms. The dangerous levels of poison are lower in the red and blue species, but it still is lethal. Because the poison arrow frog is too small to be seen by some animals, its brightly colored skin makes it more noticeable and acts as a warning to predators that the frog is deadly prey. Consequently, fewer frogs are eaten during the day, when predators can recognize them as dangerous.

Poison Arrow Frog and Man: The Choco Indians of western Colombia developed the technique of using this frog to poison the tips of arrows or blowpipe darts. The Choco use poison from three species. With the deadliest frogs, the tribesmen pin a frog to the ground with a stick and wipe their arrowheads on its skin. Less poisonous species are warmed over fires on skewers to make them excrete large quantities of poison, which is concentrated for use. Today the Choco use poison darts or arrows for hunting small game, but in the past they were used in wars with other tribes in the forest.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 1 in. The biggest frog in the family grows to 2 in.

Breeding:
Mating: During the tropical rainy season
No. of eggs: 4-6, laid on land
Tadpole: Develops in flooded leaf joints of plants and feeds on unfertilized eggs

Lifestyle:
Habit: Lives on forest floor and among trees
Diet: Small insects such as ants and spiders
Lifespan: Unknown

Related Species: Of the 116 species in the family, 55 are brightly colored poisonous Dendrobates and Phyllobates species: These include the golden poison arrow frog, Dendrobates auratus, and the deadly Phyllobates terribilis.
Distribution: The red and blue poison arrow frog lives in the Costa Rican rainforests. Other species occur throughout tropical South America from Costa Rica to southern Brazil.
Conservation: Although the poison arrow frog is collected both for its poison and for the pet trade, the destruction of its habitat threatens its future.

How the Red and Blue Poison Arrow Frog Rears Its Young:
Location: The female may carry the tadpoles several feet to place each one in a cuplike condensation pool at the center of a tree growing plant.
Tadpoles: Newly hatched young climb on the female’s back and are kept moist.
Young: Regularly fed unfertilized eggs by the female. The frog climbs out of the plant when fully grown.

Did You Know: 
Only one natural predator may hunt the poison arrow frog: the snake Leimadophis epinephelus seems to be immune to the toxins.
This family includes some of the smallest frogs in the world: Dendrobates minutus grows to only a half inch.
Scientists discover new species of poison arrow continually in their tropical forest explorations. Still, their habitat may be destroyed before scientists can account for them.
 

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